By Roderick van Roosmalen & Julie Maguire
Topic: New EU regulations for iodine and heavy metals
Les algues sont une ressource très polyvalente qui peut être utilisée comme et/ou dans l'alimentation, l'alimentation animale, les produits biochimiques, la séquestration du carbone, les nutraceutiques, les cosmétiques et les produits pharmaceutiques. Par exemple, l'alginate, un composé extrait des algues, est utilisé comme épaississant dans le dentifrice.
Seaweed can be harvested from the wild, but this needs to be done sustainably to maintain the ecosystem. It can also be cultivated on farms. This is mainly done in Asia, but the seaweed aquaculture industry in Europe is growing. However, this growth is not without its challenges.
A new regulatory challenge
One major challenge is the upcoming regulation on Iodine and heavy metal content in seaweed for food set out by the European Commission. Most of the levels required by the regulation are generally lower than the levels that are naturally occurring. This is primarily because seaweeds bioaccumulate most of these compounds. Hence, the higher the concentration of these compounds in the seawater, the higher the concentration in the seaweed. For example, under the new rules, the arsenic levels in seaweed are set at 1.0 mg/kg while natural levels range from 1.0 to 67.6 mg/kg.
When the concentration of iodine and heavy metals is above the regulatory threshold, the seaweed cannot be sold as food or nutraceuticals. Furthermore, certain downstream industries (pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical) are also unwilling to use seaweed that has levels of iodine and heavy metals that are above the regulatory threshold. This has already had a noticeable impact on the seaweed industry in the EU. Some French kelp farmers are not growing any kelp this year as a result of the new regulations.
Why intake matters
These proposed levels for seaweed don’t make sense. Most people don’t eat that much seaweed, and you need to eat a lot to get the same amount of heavy metals when eating, for example, meat. Yes, the limit in meat is much lower; however, in general we eat much more meat. For example, the maximum levels of lead in meat are 0.1 mg/kg, and for the most commonly consumed seaweed, which is nori, it is 0.5 mg/kg. Most people eat about 100 g of meat per day, which results in a daily intake of 0.05 mg of lead. To put this into perspective, in general people just eat sushi occasionally. One roll of sushi contains one nori sheet, which weighs 2.5 g, so if you eat about 5 rolls, you take in 0.006 mg of lead. This is nearly 10 times lower compared to the lead intake you get when eating a typical meat portion. It is also strange that the maximum lead level allowed for mussels is three times higher than the level allowed for nori, while most people eat way more mussels than nori in a meal setting.
Possible solutions for the seaweed sector
You are probably wondering how the seaweed producers will solve this issue. One solution is to state that certain seaweeds should be classified as a traditional food because they have been eaten for centuries. This would result in less stringent levels of heavy metals and iodine for these seaweeds. Another solution is to adapt the regulation to reflect the difference in intake between certain products. Or any other solution that better reflects the difference between seaweed consumption and more common food consumption. A third solution we propose doesn’t solve the issue of seaweed being used as a foodstuff but will solve the issue for any other products. Instead of selling the seaweed as is, valuable products can be extracted from the seaweed. During this process, the heavy metals and iodine can be removed, which can result in a product that can be sold in any market and is totally safe.
A call for proportionate regulation
We know that we are not the only industry with challenges, but the seaweed industry is nascent in Europe and not as well established as most other food industries. To ensure that we can grow as an industry, we will need support. There are enough solutions out there that can help the industry to overcome these challenges, but they need to be considered by the regulators, as in all organic things, nothing is just black and white.